Sundance alum gives Columbus sneak peek of new film

When Cincinnati native Andre Hyland had his film “The 4th” added to the list of “must see” films at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival, he was definitely excited, but in an interview with 614NOW he expressed modesty to the extreme.

“It’s awesome just to get into that festival and it’s awesome to be highlighted,” Hyland said. “It was received well.”

Though he hopes the film will eventually get a widespread release, he’s bringing it to audiences in Columbus for a special Ohio premiere showing at the Gateway Film Center this Saturday night at 7 p.m.

From his role as writer-director-star-producer of the film, he describes “The 4th” as “a frustrating, pathetic adventure through L.A.”

“It’s basically about this dude who’s trying to throw a Fourth of July cookout while his roommate’s out of town and everything goes awry.”

The film was shot on a minimal budget, but Hyland’s dry sense of humor shines through in his attention to detail.

“I wanted to keep it very simple and grounded. It’s not like there’s a spaceship landing or a meteor or anything,” Hyland said. “With this type of approach, the minutia of life will pop up more and have more weight to them.”

He says he approaches his acting as if he was in a drama, allowing the quirks of the characters and the situations they get themselves in to create the humor, rather than winking at the camera.

In addition to showing the film for the first time in Ohio, Hyland will be at this Saturday’s showing, where he’ll give a Q&A to audience members.

He ended the interview with a taste of the humor he’s known for.

“I know I’m biased because I made it, but I’d go see it.”

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